Grip of the Mind Thieves, Chapter 2: Sleuth and Rescue! Report

DAWN SUN REGISTER

VOL. CLIII . . . No. 72,229

The Local Region's Choice for 40 years

50 cents, Sept 29, 2009

General Summary

HARBOR HIJINKS! MUSEUM VANDALIZED!

Manhattan PIer 1

by Oscar Locke

Dramatic scenes and awe-inspiring views are nothing new to New Yorkers, but this takes the cake, or in this case... the t-shirt!

Locals and tourists alike were caught off guard in the Pier I area west of Central Park when a group of NYC utility workers armed with t-shirt cannons fired into the air above the crowd and created chaos in the area. Sporting strange metahuman powers and glowing orange eyes, the group could have caused untold property damage and injury had the timely arrival of the Knights Vigilant brought the emerging riot to a quick standstill.

However, other than the workers' affliction by some chemical ooze, the escapade proved to be somewhat of a charade. Canisters, reported as dangerous, turned out to be nothing more than drone-powered 'confetti bombs'. Hardly the danger estimated by authorities and possibly a distraction.

At that same moment, the American Museum of Natural History suffered vandalism by a quartet of unusual thieves: NYC officers and CSI technicians from the Central Park precinct sent to examine the crime scene of the recent antique book theft two-and-a-half weeks ago. Security footage and reports show the two uniformed officers and two CSI technicians had been doused with an orange fog. Once the cloud diminished, the four went on a rampage in the museum.

Scattering the usual early week visitors and tourists, the altered individuals finally came to a stop at the New York City diorama, one of four on display at museums across the city. There, they took pains to assemble miniaturized burrowing devices and turn them loose on the diorama. Once done, the four collapsed to the floor unconscious. Security footage shows that the tiny devices drilled into the expensive diorama before setting themselves on fire.

Fortunately, the museum's fire suppression system worked as designed, preventing the fire from destroying the diorama or the museum. Once revived, neither the uniformed officers nor the CSI technicians had any memory of why they committed the acts of vandalism.

Captain Macintosh of Central Park's NYPD precinct or NYPD police commissioner Ron Garabalzi have provided any comment at this time.

ASSAULT AT CYGNUS MEDICAL CENTER!

by Meil Ming

Temperature records weren't the only thing shattered when a series of unfortunate events struck at the Cygnus Medical Center.

Yesterday, a team of security guards from Ironclad Securities knocked down doors and shattered windows in what seemed to be an odd rampage through the research wing of the hospital. Descriptions from witnesses on the scene, say the security guards had been under the influence of some mutagenic toxin that, apart from leaving them with glowing orange eyes and mottled skin, granted them amazing metahuman abilities!

The seven guards had shown no unusual symptoms throughout the morning. It wasn't until mid-day that they exhibited signs of being affected by this strange malady.

Tearing through the lower floors, the guard's eventual destination was one of the hazardous chemical labs on the fourth floor of the center. There they broke down doors and ransacked the lab. They left with a laptop, a recent container of chemicals brought in for analysis, and one of the Center's staff. Afterwards, the seven mutated guards dashed for the front, shattering then leaping from the upper floors to the ground outside.

If it hadn't been for a timely intervention by the new about town vigilante known as Bronze Tempest and Dr. Pamela Isley, the eco-terrorist also known as "Poison Ivy", the seven deranged security guards might have escaped with their ill-gotten gains.

Later, after her rescue from being abducted, Kim Parsons of Cygnus Medical Center had this to say...

"I've worked alongside plenty of the people from Ironside Securities. They're down to earth, solid professionals. I never expected this. Neither did I expect the sudden powers or ... glowing eyes. I had escorted Dr. Isley to the lab as a consultant when it all started. I knew her reputation, but really, I was glad Dr. Isley was there. She used her powers and ... I guessed altered ... some plants to have vines which caught two of the guards. She wasn't able to contain all five. They were just so fast! They mumbled something about 'get the notes' over and over. Whatever that means."

When contacted, Ironclad Securities had no comment other than to say that all seven employees are in the Aquila Cadens Medical Research Center for treatment and observation by Dr. Hank Kirby McCoy.

Ironclad Securities is one of the top security firms in the tri-state area, providing services to various tech firms and corporations, such as Oscorp and SpecterCorp.

FROM THE BLOTTER

Members of the NYC utility crew and employees of Ironclad Securities were taken to Aquila Cadens Medical Research Center for treatment and observation following the incidents at Pier I and Cygnus Medical Center.

Unformed officers and one police detective on the scene at Pier I sustained minor injuries but were otherwise unharmed. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.

FROM THE BLOTTER continued on page A6.

OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN SURPRISE APPEARANCE?

Club goers were caught off guard by a surprise appearance of Olivia Newton John, or more accurately her perfect 70s lookalike, at the BeeGeebers Club on Columbus Ave. The BeeGeebers, one of the two hottest local establishments catering to those with a nostalgia for the 1970s, said the event was not a publicity stunt. However, lately the club has come under some scrutiny as a hangout for one of the more colorful, if not notorious, gangs in the area; the Dicso Boys.

OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN continued on page A5.

POLITICS

Recent events at Pier I and Cygnus Medical Center have inflamed the council debates today over the 'Licensed Hero' bill. Both sides seem entrenched, both for and against. Including members of law enforcement who admit to both advantages and disadvantages to the concept.

COUNCIL DEBATE continued on page A3.

STARK ENTERPRISES TECH EXPO - DAY FIVE

Day five of the Stark Enterprises Tech Expo rockets forward with more devices, innovations and progress from tech companies around the globe! Including the new STAR Labs / Waynetech prototype!

STARK TECH EXPO continued on page A4.

LOCAL HERO LIBRARIAN OUT ON THE TOWN

Local NYC Librarian turned shapeshifting sand hero, Sahara, was spotted having an afternoon out on the town. But it seems not even heroes can catch a break these days as his stroll at Pier 1 was interrupted by a small disturbance. HERO ABOUT TOWN continued on page A9.